Chief M G Buthefoa ana Pnncess Itonc Bulhotozi anno at King's park Stadium ,n Durban on May 1. 1966 whero the Chief gave tho opening address at iho launch of the United Workers' Union of SA
I inkatha has always
supported trade unions and encourages its members to join them. During the decades
when black trade unions were not permitted by the SA
Government, Chief Buthelezi championed their cause and urged successive governments to reconsider their stand.
Chief Buthelezi is a recipient of the George Meany
International Human Rights Award, bestowed on him by the American Federation of
Support for the workers
Labour and the Congress of Industrial Organisations in the United States. He was the
second holder of this
American trade union award after Nobel Peace Prize
winner, Lech Walesa, of Poland.
Inkatha has, in its actions and in numerous resolutions and statements, committed itself to the struggle of black workers in South Africa.
Inkatha (as has been noted) supports the free enterprise system not out of sentiment but pragmatism. It stresses its
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THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
belief that, under successive apartheid governments, the free enterprise system has b e e n exploitative. Commerce and industry have, in fact, thrived on the exploitation of black labour.
Nevertheless, it remains convinced that it is only the free enterprise system which can salvage South Africa from the kind of poverty which
leads to social and political decay and ultimately to revolutionary and counter-
revolutionary ferment. It is only the free enterprise system
which appears to b e capable of producing the jobs and the infrastructure which the
country s o desperately n e e d s . While being adamantely
committed to the eradication of apartheid. Inkatha is not
committed to a socialist one- party state. It regards
participation in trade unions as part and parcel of the free
enterprise system and multi- party democracy.
Workers in South Africa today have the machinery for
negotiations — u p to the
Industrial Court - which were for so long denied to them.
They can therefore exhaust all channels of negotiation which
were not available a d e c a d e ago.
When blacks were eventually granted trade union rights.
Inkatha did not attempt to persuade emerging unions to affiliate to the movement
although some have.
Chief Buthelezi says he feels
"very strongly" that trade unions have their own
important tasks to perform — lust as political movements, too.
have their own responsibilities.
In other words, that unions are not political movements and political movements are not unions.
It is regrettable, however, that some political movements in South Africa instead of
being membership-based — have now concentrated on literally poaching trade union membership through affiliation instead of building up their own powerbases. Some trade
unions are being used more for political a g e n d a s than for worker agendas.
The broad mass of black trade union members are
rarely, if ever, consulted by these organisations before political decisions are made
regarding vital issues affecting them — political affiliations and stances, sanctions and
disinvestment are prime examples.
It is no longer conjecture that certain political organisations
and trade union leaders are using black workers to
destablise the economy of South Africa. There arc organisations which are
promoting anarchy in the hope that they will succeed in
making the country
"ungovernable".
The recent findings of United States Intelligence reports
probing communist infiltration and strengths in black
organisations fighting apartheid, had specific
comments to make relating to unions linked to the United Democratic Front (UDF).
The reports, containing information pooled from all of America's intelligence
agencies, found that unions linked to the UDF appeared to have a "disproportionate" say in the Congress of South
African Trade Unions (COSATU).
They noted that about 19 of COSATU's 33 unions
(constituting about 10 percent of the membership) were closely linked to the UDF and
"heavily staffed with ANC sympathisers". The so-called UDF unions were widely considered to b e a possible conduit for SACTU (the
communist-allied South African Congress of Trade Unions)
influence in COSATU.
"At present these UDF unions appear to have influence
within COSATU dispropor- tionate to their membership strengths." the report said.
Observers divided COSATU into two factions: o n e favouring i n d e p e n d e n c e and worker activity above political activism, the other wanting close ties with the UDF and exile movements, (he report a d d e d .
"Radical UDF elements, possibly in concert with the South African Communist Party or SACTU. have put pressure on COSATU executive
members to take positions more extreme than they might prefer."
The report also found
"strong" South African
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InkMths supporters MI the launch ol UWUSA
